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Thousands of vehicles were set ablaze as an inferno of acrid smoke and flames burned near a Florida airport.

The lines of hire cars were stored in a field used as an overflow lot by rental companies at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers when flames spread through the massed ranks of vehicles.

Firefighters used helicopters to dump water on the flames that stretched across the parking lot late on Friday night.

Multiple small explosions were reported with flames leaping high into the air as the flames spread across the area.

Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said that 'over 80 drops' were made by helicopters over 'this massive fire'.

A series of images showing the extent of the damage to thousands of vehicles were posted by county officials.

Pictures from after the inferno was extinguished showed rows or burnt out cars spread across the lot.

It is thought the car rental parking lot was busier than usual because fewer customers had hired vehicles during the coronavirus lockdown while most flights are suspended and travel restrictions in place.

Another 3,850 vehicles were undamaged, according to an airport spokeswoman.

Spokeswoman for the FAA, Arlene Salac, said the fire did not affect air traffic or operations at the airport.

In a Facebook post, the airport thanked those who responded to the blaze, saying: "We appreciate their courage and willingness to help our Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting Department. Together they were able to keep all our passengers and airport visitors safe."